Bullet points don't display properly - show as boxes?!

[mwh...@officeformac.com]

Version: 2008 Operating System: Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) Processor: Intel have a document and bullet points display as boxes, for some reason.

I can select other bullet points (e.g. arrows) and those display right, but when I select normal bullet points, they show up as boxes?

How can I fix this?!

[John McGhie]

This means there is something wrong with the font the bullets are in.

That font is normally "Symbol" font (but you can set it to anything you
like) and it may simply be that the Symbol font is missing from or disabled
on your system.

To go further, I need to know what the update level of Word is, and the name
of the Style you are using for Bullets.

Cheers

On 8/12/09 6:27 AM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,
"mwh...@officeformac.com" <mwh...@officeformac.com> wrote:

--

The email below is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless I ask you to; or unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:jo...@mcghie.name

[mwh...@officeformac.com]

Thanks for the response!

The Version is 12.2.3 (091001)

The style just says "normal", and its the most common bullet points. Font is New Times Roman.

FYI, I just realized this problem is on my resume, which was worked for a bit by someone using Windows.

Mark

> This means there is something wrong with the font the bullets are in.
>
> That font is normally "Symbol" font (but you can set it to anything you
> like) and it may simply be that the Symbol font is missing from or disabled
> on your system.
>
> To go further, I need to know what the update level of Word is, and the name
> of the Style you are using for Bullets.
>
> Cheers
>
> On 8/12/09 6:27 AM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

[John McGhie]

Yup! The problem is a missing or corrupted Symbol font on your system.

There is no such thing as "the most common bullets". The bullet formats are
stored in the document, and they are "whatever you last used in that
document".

The Windows user would have applied bullets to Normal style, and in so
doing, has set the font to something you don't have, or to a character that
is not in your copy of the Symbol font.

This is just one reason why it's a really bad idea to use "Normal" style for
"anything". Word uses the Normal style for all manner of things all over
the document. If you define bullets onto some text in Normal Style, you've
set up a conflict: some "Normal" paragraphs have bullets, some don't.

From there, it's only a matter of time before the document gives trouble.

You need to fix the bullet format in that document. Here's how:

Apply the style "List Bullet" to those bulleted paragraphs. (In the
formatting palette, you need to set the "List" window in the Style tab to
"All Styles" from "Available Styles" or you will not see the List Bullet
style unless you have used it in that document).

Then set the format of List Bullet to be what you want. The easiest way to
do that is to set the format for one paragraph with List Bullet applied,
then:

1) Select the entire paragraph you just changed
2) Display the Formatting Palette
3) Open the Style tab
4) In the "Pick formatting to apply" window (the lower one)
5) Click the blue paragraph symbol against the List Bullet style
6) Choose "Update to match selection" from the drop-down that appears.

This gives you a dedicated style for bullets, set up the way you like them.

Do the same with List Number.

7) Then go back to the formatting palette,
8) select either style,
9) and click the paragraph mark again.
10) This time, choose "Modify".
11) In the dialog that opens, check "Add to template" and ensure that
"Automatically update" remains unchecked.
12) Save and quit Word.

Takes five minutes.

The second half of the procedure stores the new definitions for all of your
styles in your Normal.dotm template, so that every document you create from
now will have those style settings in it when you create it, so you never
have to set it again.

Once you get the hang of this, set up Body Text to your taste and use that
in place of Normal. Set up the Heading 1 through Heading 9 series of styles
for your headings. Set up the Header and Footer styles, and the Page Number
style.

Add to Template and quit: and all your formatting is DONE, for the rest of
your life :-)

There is such a thing as "Too much automation". Word has this design error
as a major problem.

The USA FAA is currently extremely worried about this in relation to
airlines. All airlines now instruct their pilots to fly the entire trip on
the autopilot. They do this because the computers fly much more accurately
than the pilots do, which saves fuel. Air Traffic Control also insists that
the pilots are on "automatic" before they will permit the aircraft to go up
to the heights where airliners fly most efficiently: the computer accuracy
enables them to get more airliners closer together in the same block of
airspace.

The problem that is scaring the hell out of the FAA and the CAA is this: If
there is a problem ... Say, the aircraft hits severe turbulence that exceeds
the ability of the autopilot to correct it ... The autopilot kicks off, and
hands the aircraft back to the pilot.

But it might be YEARS since the pilots manually flew an aircraft, and they
have forgotten how! Sure, they have a general idea, but when the autopilot
suddenly shouts "YOURS!!" in the middle of a thunderstorm at night with no
visibility, you have to know EXACTLY how, instantly.

That's what some people think bought down flight AF447 with the death of all
on board: they hit a thunderstorm and the autopilot clicked off with the
airplane upside down. The pilots couldn't get it right-side up before the
force of the air ripped it apart. Because they had forgotten how to fly...

Scary...

Same with Microsoft Word. If you had been a WordPerfect user, you would not
have needed to ask this question, because in WP you had to define your
bullets each time you wanted some, so you did it automatically without
needing to think.

In Word, everything is so automatic that normal users these days have no
idea how it works, or how to fix it when it goes wrong.

I guess we need a "Fix this document" button :-)

Cheers

On 10/12/09 2:18 AM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

[Lau...@officeformac.com]

Holding down the Option key and hitting 8 gives you a bullet as well.

[John McGhie]

Different mechanism and different result, though.

That inserts a bullet character into the text using the font of the
surrounding text: the poster's problem is with the generated bullets in
outline lists that use a specified font.

Cheers

On 11/12/09 2:11 AM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,
"Lau...@officeformac.com" <Lau...@officeformac.com> wrote:

> Holding down the Option key and hitting 8 gives you a bullet as well.

--

[pn...@officeformac.com]

I am having exactly the same problem and what you suggested did not work. I am selecting a typical black bullet and word replaces it with a hollow white box which does not show up when I print.

[CyberTaz]

The hollow white box means that the character being called for is not
present in the font being used. Therefore it cannot be displayed or printed.

If the suggestions offered to the originator of this thread do not work for
you your circumstances must be *different* even if the symptoms seem to be
similar -- just because 2 people have a pain in their arm doesn't mean the
pains stem from the same cause :-)

Submit a New Message stating all particulars pertinent to your issue,
including exact update levels of Office & OS X as well as what fonts are
involved, what Styles are being used, how you are "selecting a typical black
bullet", plus any other details you can supply.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

On 12/11/09 12:17 PM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

[mwh...@officeformac.com]

Sorry for the delay in responding. The solution you gave does not appear to work. The problem is more to do with the font than the Style I think? The problem is that I cannot get the "normal bullet" - by this I mean the black dot (like what you get pressing Option-8) to appear. Whenever I try to select it, a hollow black box (black border, white center) appears instead.

So when I follow your instructions, and get to the "select the bullet you prefer", I am unable to get that bullet to appear. I can select OTHER styles, and they appear, but the "normal" black dot comes out as a box.

> The hollow white box means that the character being called for is not
> present in the font being used. Therefore it cannot be displayed or printed.
>
> If the suggestions offered to the originator of this thread do not work for
> you your circumstances must be *different* even if the symptoms seem to be
> similar -- just because 2 people have a pain in their arm doesn't mean the
> pains stem from the same cause :-)
>
> Submit a New Message stating all particulars pertinent to your issue,
> including exact update levels of Office & OS X as well as what fonts are
> involved, what Styles are being used, how you are "selecting a typical black
> bullet", plus any other details you can supply.
>
> Regards |:>)
> Bob Jones
> [MVP] Office:Mac
>
>
>
> On 12/11/09 12:17 PM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,

[mwh...@officeformac.com]

Sorry - I just noticed something else odd.

When I try to select a bullet style, there are several to choose from. Big black dot, smaller black dot, arrow, hollow diamond. If I pick ANY of these, I get the same black border square (like a check box.) There is one bullet style with some sort of weird tri-color thing. If I select that, I get the weird tri-color bullet? Any of the others, I get the check box bullet? And the check box bullet does not even show up as an option for bullet point styles?

[John McGhie]

That's an absolutely classic symptom of "Missing (or disabled) font named
"Symbol".

Cheers

On 17/12/09 8:09 AM, in article 59bae...@webcrossing.JaKIaxP2ac0,
"mwh...@officeformac.com" <mwh...@officeformac.com> wrote:

--

[gise...@gmail.com]

I had a problem with bullets in Publisher. When I went to print my document all of my bullet points printed as squares. So this is what I did to correct it. It is a simple fix.

1. Go to File.

2. Click on Print (Print dialog box should appear on screen).

3. Go to Properties. Dialog box will change to show options.

4. Go to Imaging. You should see a Fonts button. Click on this.

5. Check box or option labeled: "Disable device fonts."

6. Press Okay.

7. Then Print (Ok).

8. Then Print.

This should fix the problem. I hope it does

[indyar...@gmail.com]

You need to install Font Named "Symbol" , it will fix your problem

Download Here : http://www.myfontfree.com/symbol-myfontfreecom96f31026.htm

It worked for me , I too had same problem !

[blit...@gmail.com]

I have this same problem, i dont care about printing. I need to send to my emai, then email employers where my bullets will still be on my resume. These replies are not helpingme. can i get an easy to understand civilized English translation please.